Modification of corneal curvature following radial keratotomy in primates.

Radial keratotomy was performed on six stumptail monkey eyes (Macaca speciosa) and 22 owl monkey eyes (Aotus trivirgotus). Changes in keratometry, specular microscopy, and tonometry have been studied postoperatively for three to six months. Sixteen radial incisions in stumptail monkey eyes resulted in a significant mean corneal flattening of 2.75 diopters (P less than 0.005). This effect was stable with a mean 2.50 diopters flattening remaining six months after surgery. Sixteen radial incisions in ten owl monkey eyes resulted in a much greater short-term effect, with a mean 10.50 diopters of flattening present at two weeks postoperatively. This flattening deteriorated over the observation period, and no significant effect was noted three months after surgery. A comparison of 8 vs 16 incisions on owl monkey eyes demonstrated that these two procedures are equally effective in initially flattening the cornea. Complications and side effects encountered included perforations, irregular astigmatism, corneal neovascularization, transitory increase in pachometry, and decrease in central corneal endothelial cell density in isolated cases.